The United Nations humanitarian office provided more than $427 million last year to assist countries that suffered from emergencies such as drought, floods, and food insecurity, according to a report released today by the Organization.The report – the 2011 Annual Report of the Central Emergency Response Fund – highlights the contributions of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to humanitarian partners in 45 countries in 2011.

Financed by voluntary contributions from Member States, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local governments, the private sector and individual donors, the CERF is a humanitarian fund established by the United Nations to enable more timely and reliable humanitarian assistance to those affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts, helping agencies to pre-position funding for humanitarian action.

Climate-related emergencies due to drought, floods and storms, received more than $149 million from CERF last year, according to a news release issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which helps administer the Fund.

CERF also gave more than $128 million to the Horn of Africa for people affected by drought and food insecurity, and provided needed money to help humanitarian partners intervene early in the Africa’s Sahel region to help people affected by drought-related hunger in Niger, Chad and Mauritania.

As in previous years, the World Food Programme (WFP) remained CERF’s top-funded agency, and was given $127 million – almost 30 per cent of all CERF funds – due to its role providing emergency food aid. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was the second-highest funded agency in 2011, receiving $109 million in support of 130 projects in 38 countries.

The report also highlights stories and programmes from Cambodia, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guatemala, Kenya, Niger, the Philippines, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Turkey, which have received resources from the Fund.

PTI News New Delhi: The Election Commission is understood to have decided not to intervene in the matter concerning the arrest of YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, whose mother has sought his release in view of the coming bypolls in Andhra Pradesh.

On her first-ever visit to Zimbabwe, the top United Nations human rights official has urged President Robert Mugabe to ensure that the country’s next elections will be free and fair and held in a peaceful atmosphere.“It was a very important meeting with President Mugabe, where he recounted to me the past history of Zimbabwe and attributed some of the current problems to the past,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said after meeting Mr. Mugabe in the capital, Harare, yesterday.

“I commended the President for making a call that there should be no violence in future elections. I urged him to continue to make such calls. I also urged him to ensure that the future elections will be free and fair and free from violence,” said the High Commissioner, who arrived in the country last Sunday on a five-day mission.

While a date for Zimbabwe’s next elections has not been set, they are due sometime in the next year.

During her visit, Ms. Pillay has also met other Zimbabwean leaders, including Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who told her that there are still challenges in the country, despite the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2009. The GNU was formed as part of an effort to stop the violence that accompanied elections the previous year, when Mr. Tsvangirai ran against Mr. Mugabe in the presidential polls.

“The Prime Minister was very firm, forthright and convinced me of his commitment towards protecting human rights and his goal is also to have successful elections here,” Ms. Pillay said about her meeting with Mr. Tsvangirai.

PTI News Nay Pyi Taw: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held talks with Myanmar President Thein Sein as India suggested the two countries should work out a joint strategy to tackle terrorism and insurgency along their border and enhance security cooperation.